Why Prithiviraj Sukumaran's The Goat Life performance was ‘snubbed’ for SRK-Vikrant Massey at National Awards: Explained

Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey shared the Best Actor award at the 71st National Film Awards, something fans of Prithviraj Sukumaran took offence to.

As the jury announced the 71st National Film Awards in Delhi on Friday, social media exploded. Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey shared the Best Actor prize for Jawan and 12th Fail, respectively. As their fans congratulated their idols, a few social media users felt justice had not been done. Chief among them were fans of Malayalam star Prithviraj Sukumaran, who shared clips of his acclaimed performance in Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life, saying he was 'robbed'.

Prithviraj Sukumaran in a still from Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life.

Prithviraj Sukumaran fans miffed about his 'omission'

Fans of Prithviraj took to Twitter (now called X) on Friday evening to complain that the actor's performance deserved the National Award. "This man put his blood, sweat and health over a film and didn't even win a national award for the finest performance, this was the best performance of decade. #nationalawards have become joke! Better luck next time," wrote one.

Another shared a clip from the film and added, "THIS IS CALLED ACTING 🥺😭 he deserved a NATIONAL AWARD man." Yet another shared stills from the film and wrote, “National Awards failed here. Indians failed here. Art failed here. Talent failed here. We failed here.”

Why was The Goat Life overlooked?

The 71st National Film Awards were given for films released and/or certified in 2023. This meant that any film that was certified by the CBFC in 2023 and/or released in that year was eligible for contention. However, The Goat Life was submitted for certification only in January 2024 and received its certificate on February 1 that year. It was eventually released in theatres on 28 March. However, since it was part of several film festivals, the film was submitted in various categories.

Jury member Pradeep Nair said the jury dismissed the film. “Ashutosh had seen the movie at a previous film festival in Goa and had serious concerns about the film’s adaptation and execution. Gowariker and others also felt the adaptation lacked naturality and the performances didn’t feel authentic,” he told Manorama. Nair added that some of the submissions had technical issues as well, as the film format submitted did not have subtitles.

All about The Goat Life

Directed by Blessy, Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life is a biographical survival drama based on the life of Najeeb, a Malayali immigrant labourer in Saudi Arabia. The film starred Prithviraj in the lead, alongside Jimmy Jean-Louis, Amala Paul, KR Gokul, and Shobha Mohan. The film received wide critical acclaim and was a commercial success as well. It grossed ₹158 crore at the box office, becoming one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films ever.